If you’ve thought about joining the blogging community, you’re definitely not alone.

In 2012 there were 31 million bloggers in America, according to Blogging.org. So what does it take to compete in an online world of constant blogger battle?

Here are five tips to help create the next “Mona Lisa” of blogs.

1. Pick a theme

What are you planning to blog about? Whether it’s fitness, travel or life in college, creating an overall theme helps direct you in each blog post and allows you to be more focused and creative in a particular area. If you’re planning on being a long-term blogger, then you will need to pick a theme for which you consistently have a topic to write about.

2. Pick a home for your blog

There are tons of free sites where you can create a blog and you will need to decide where your blog calls home. WordPress, Blogger and Tumblr are just a few of the dozens of choices out there. Each has strengths and weaknesses; the one that fits you best will be determined by your goals for your blog.

3. Utilizing social media

To be a successful blogger you need a strong footprint on the web. Gaining a larger audience will begin with how you showcase your blog. Linking your blog to your social media outlets, adding links on your blog to your social media accounts and utilizing hashtags are tools for casting a wider net of followers.

4. Concentrate on content

This goes back to theme. Is what you’re writing about interesting? Are your posts relevant to the theme? Are you getting the facts right? Try to be creative. Use hyperlinks throughout your blog to establish credibility.

5. Keep writing

It’s hard to have a successful blog when the page looks like a ghost town. Try to write at least 3-4 times a week. If you want it to be a weekly blog, make the day you write consistent.

Your success as an established blogger depends on the frequency of your writing, your reader base and the interesting topic you have chosen to focus on. Practice makes perfect, so if your reader base is low now, just keep writing. The Roman Empire wasn’t built overnight and success in the blogger world won’t be either.

Ariel Hernandez can be reached at [email protected] or @Aj7uriel on Twitter.